Yes, yes, one of BYOND's many RPGs. However, if you're gonna play any RPG on BYOND, this should be it. I've played the other more popular RPGs BYOND has to offer, and I was never impressed. Little things piled up (and big things for some) and just left a bad taste in my mouth. The beginning was not newbie friendly, the game was too easy, emphasized grinding, the graphicing just wasn't appealing in the slightest, and, everyone's favorite, HORRIBLE COMMUNITY.

FFO does not have any of these problems, though. The game is bugless, the menus are extremely well done and appealing to the eye. Everything is very newbie friendly, yet fun and addicting in its simplicity. The game itself could actually stand to be more complex, but it's definitely not too simple. You can grind and level to your heart's content (though, it's not necessary at all to enjoy the game--will explain in a bit), because the battle system is well-done (though, lag can be an issue) and is somewhat unique. I think the fact that it utilizes the original Final Fantasy's sprites makes it especially fun, if you're a hardcore fan of the classics. Most RPGs on BYOND are simply too easy, though. You level ten times and it barely means everything. The cap in FFO is level 21 right now, and I made it to 15 in a couple days. So, leveling is hardly the emphasis. Though, when you DO level, it clearly matters and you can notice the difference. In any case, the game is not easy at all. People die all the time. I play it a bit smart, and avoid dying at all costs, but I've taken my fair share of risks and enjoyed myself aat the same time. Your log will almost always have one death of someone dying to monsters, and sometimes even to other players.

Which segues to the community. I think of all the games I have played on BYOND, this game has the friendliest, most supportive community by far. The guides are plentiful--people appointed by Gakumerasara or whoever else to officially help newbies--and they all help instantly when you ask a question. I'm actually very surprised. Any question at all you have, no matter how inane, they will help. Hell, even other newbies help out. You can ask vets, and they help sometimes, too. Though, this game is PvP, you have a lot of just players on who will slaughter hostile players if they kill you unjustly, resulting in heavy penalties to gold, items, and experience. The hostile players are few, but they are there--which I think is a good thing, because if everyone was agreeable and nice, it would lack some excitement--and fear, when you see someone who has mastered a class. Ironically, one of my first experiences in the game, before I even left town, was another newbie who killed me for no reason. Straight after, four high level players hunted him down. This was my only experience with another hostile player, though. I've seen others, but had no personal encounters, yet.

Like I said, you don't have to grind and level to play this game. I could go on about the aspects of the game that make fighting monsters fun (quests, day/night, exploration, etc.), but the main appeal to the game is the social environment. With a mostly intelligent community and kingdoms for people to align to, politics becomes an extremely important aspect of the game once you get your feet wet and gain a few levels. Kindgoms in the past have warred for lengthy periods of time, people have been known to sabotage, traitorize, instigate, and call peace. The game's system helps this, but it really is the players that make it interesting. I haven't become personally involved, but I've seen people debating about kingdoms, bounties, outlawing players, etc.

For the most part, I despise MMORPGs. Always speak against them. I know other players who play the game who feel the same (ScouSin and Game_Hunter are the best examples). However, like I said--this game is different. I wouldn't feel right scoring it, but I think it deserves a ranking better than 21, and I have no idea why it isn't published--and most of all, it's the best RPG on BYOND, easily.

Give it a go.

Score:

Graphics: 9.5
Sound: 8.5
Gameplay: 8.0
Story: 8.5
Overall: 8.5


A little disclaimer: The scoring up above is as unbiased as possible. What I mean is, I have played nearly every single Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest (V and VI aside), and I have inevitable expectations from the eighth installment in the series, especially since the previous seven (or five that I played) have kinda built on top of the last (DQVII incorporated so much so well). So, this scoring is unbiased, as if I had never played the others and I am just looking at this as a single game, for better or worse. In the review, however, I will mention how fans of the previous DW/DQ's may view this game. If you want a review from someone who has never played a DW/DQ, go read Mike Wilson's review.

Graphics

The screenshots do not lie. Dragon Quest VIII is absolutely beautiful, from the intricate field that you walk on, to the sky (and, wow, what a sky), to the characters themselves. Detail is crafted into every single aspect of the game. Yes, certain items (especially in towns) are reused constantly, but you can't expect everything to be different and unique. With games like Xenosaga going the more realistic route, it's refreshing to see that “cartoony” graphics can still be done extraordinarily well—if not better. In fact, even your weapon and shield change in battle, sheath/holster/whatever included. Sometimes it was fun just to use the personal camera to look around. Yes, just looking around was enjoyable.

Sound

The music is all orchestrated, which is phenomenal. No piece of music feels out of place, or that it wasn't done well. Occasionally, other games have pieces that don't seem to fit the town/event/etc. However, the music is not very engaging. A few pieces caught my attention, and gave me that feeling in my chest that only music can offer, but most of the time, I felt like I was zoning out the music, because it was either over-used or didn't have a dramatic effect. This is typical of the DW/DQ series, so it should come as no surprise, but with so much else changed, they could have incorporated some more touching tunes.

Lemme tell ya, though—the voice acting is fantastic. Throughout the entire game, I was impressed with the voices chosen for each character, and the acting. A lot of heart and emphasis went into selecting voices for everyone, NPCs included. I think there was one voice I didn't like, and that was an extremely minor NPC, so not to worry. Hope you like British accents and slang.

Gameplay

If you're not playing for the storyline, then you're playing for the gameplay, right? That's what RPGs are all about—story and gameplay. The battle system is just what you'd expect from a DW/DQ game, but the challenge was severely lacking, and I only leveled at the very beginning. If you do everything in the right order (i.e. You don't go sailing around to far off continents once you get your boat) and don't wander off too far ahead before you've completed the story's objective at the given time, you should be able to complete everything with ease and no leveling. I've never been a fan of leveling for the sake of leveling, but as an old fan of Dragon Warrior, I miss the challenge! Leveling was okay, because it kept you engaged in what was going on, and helped you feel the tension of the fight. Constantly using Falcon Slash and whipping your enemies down in one turn before they even get a hit off on you is not my idea of fun. The bosses are pretty easy, too. I didn't die nearly enough. According to my record book, I was wiped out three times and fled three times out of 116 hours of gameplay. The only reason those even happened was because I ventured off way too far on side quests.

Speaking of hours of gameplay—the game ran me almost as long as DQVII (a fantastic game). However, the difference is that I completed the game (sidequests and all) in 116 hours, whereas, in DQVII, I just managed to beat the game (and dabble in a sidequest or two) in 120 hours. Nevertheless, DQVIII boasts a long (sans arduous) journey. If you're looking to dedicate some time to an RPG, this is probably a good game to do it, since most RPGs only run about forty hours.

So many games have tried to implement an alchemy-esque system. DQVIII did this extremely well. Recipes are vast (though easy to come by), but are never complete. Some have missing pieces in their formulas, while others vaguely hint to a certain component. Other items that you can make in the alchemy pot have no recipe, and you must discover how to make them on your own. It sounds fun and all, and it is for a while, but there's not really anything else to it. Fortunately, if you try to mix things together that don't work, you don't lose the item, just a little time waiting to find out that it doesn't work.

Oh, and for those of you who are longtime fans of DW/DQ casinos—don't get your hopes up. This is, by far, the worst casino I've seen in a DW/DQ game. I won't spoil what it offers (you can go find a FAQ for that), but lemme just say that you will be disappointed.

I've said a lot of negative things here: don't misunderstand me. I was never bored, and it didn't take me weeks to complete. The game is fun, albeit simplistic, but may leave some veterans thirsting for more—anything/everything.

Story

Which brings us to the other reason you play RPGs: the storyline. The Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest series has a thread in storylines that does not end here. Rest assured, you will be fighting an evil wizard, saving castles from various catastrophes, and saving a princess (actually, that's the basis behind the entire adventure!) However, this game, coupled with the graphics and voice acting, creates a brighter picture. The plight of townsfolk, and those who live in shacks just off the road or in the middle of a field, are very real. I was never as engaged as I would have liked, but it was traditional DW/DQ style, and then some. The villain had more personality, he was much more interactive, and interesting. Mind you, he's no Kefka or Sephiroth, but he's enough to go “grr” at once or twice.

Character interaction (within your party) is lacking—a great deal. The ability to talk to your party at just about any juncture in the game and actually have them say something different at points you might have expected the programmers to get lazy at and just have them repeat what they said before is fantastic, but also deceptive. I did not feel all that close to any character in the game, aside from Yangus or even the hero (and that's a stretch). They each have believable reasons to go on the journey, and the game tries to give each of them a little history every now and again, but the main focus seems to be the people at the various towns/castles you visit on your travels. You're basically some empty body who people turn to for help, and you barely respond at all. Truly, you are the speechless hero. However, if you want to appreciate the game's storyline on a complete and fulfilling level, then you should complete it. You'll know what I mean when you get there.

I think part of the reason the DW/DQ series appeals to so many people is that it remains true to the medieval-esque, fantasy novel sort of atmosphere. You will find no machines (aside from those headless hunters) in this game, and no space travel. Hell, they don't even have flying machines. Rest assured, if you dislike the tech-savvy feel of most of the RPGs out there, this is your sanctuary from all that for a classic knight-defeats-dragon-esque tale.

Nostalgia

This is probably pointless to add, since most long-time fans of the DW/DQ series have probably already played the game, but for those of you who have waited this long, here it goes:

Almost every single spell name has been changed. It's horrendous. The new spell names aren't even good. I have no idea why they changed the spell names. To show change in the game? The effects are the same, and anyone who's been a long-time fan of the series isn't going to be charmed by spell names like “Zing” or “Kasnooze” (yes, I'm serious). On a purely nostalgic level, this detracted from the game for me. Obviously it wasn't a huge upset, but come on! Why?!

As if the spell names weren't enough, they changed monster names as well. They weren't changed to anything too bad, but it's another change that just seems unnecessary. As an old fan of the DW/DQ series (my first RPG—back when I was six-years-old—currently 21), I'm both confused and a little displeased. It's not a big deal, like with the spell names, but I just don't know why they did it, or how it benefits the game at all. However, rest-assured, you will see many familiar faces, and the animations really bring them to life.

Despite the changes, several old elements remain. I will not spoil anything, but I will say that this is still recognizably a Dragon Warrior game.

Overall

Dragon Quest VIII is a great game, but, admittedly, much of its magic comes from the graphics. This is not a bad thing, since it helps the game a great deal, but if the creators would have focused more on other aspects of the game, this could have been a masterpiece. Keep in mind, DW/DQ games have never been known for their amazing storylines or unique gameplay, but the beautiful simplicity of it all attracts us to it. Sometimes simple is best, since over-complicating things can and has ruined many games. If you want a fun fantasy tale to go on a pleasant (though long!) stroll through, this is a good game to buy. And, yes, even you old-timers will enjoy this game a great deal.

Ah, Jay Sherman. Whatever happened to those awesome cartoons from the 90's geared more toward the young adult generation while I was still an adolescent? Oh well, I'm not here to reminiscene. I'm here to announce that I'm posting the novella that I wrote last semester for all to download. I'm a writing minor, and I took an Independent Study and sat in on a senior class. Pulled out an A, but my prof doesn't think it'll win any contests because of a few flaws that he saw. Nevertheless, he and the rest of the class really enjoyed it, and it's an actual book (66 pages), so kudos to me.

It's an anti-romance about a college student who is on an early search for meaning in his life, on through to his mid-twenties, where the story ends.

Give it a read if you have the time and you're interested. Lemme know what you think if you give it a fair read, too. Enjoy!

So, I have had this idea for a long, long time. At least ten years. It's about greetings, and what they all mean. I've come to notice that when people simply say "hi," that tends to mean that they don't know you or they're not interested in seeing you, and they just say hi to you because it's polite. If someone says "hello," it's more formal, but not as unfriendly, and when they say, "hey," that when you're getting more informal. Things like "hey there," and "how's it goin'?" rank on the definitely friendly level. Don't forget your little bag-o-common sense: these aren't absolutes, and this is just a theory that I've had solidified over the years with proof. Proof = noticing social interaction after the greetings and the relationships between people. There are exceptions, and that's mostly the type of people who say them, but, generally, this is how I've found it to work.

My crazy brother (ScouSin) has tricked me into playing another Korean game. What is it this time? Rakion. Well, the game isn't too unique, but it's unique enough to be fun. Plus, I think I'm starting to become one of those people who actually finds a game more enjoyable when the graphics are better. Mind you, I can still enjoy a game if the graphics suck (I mean, I do play games on BYOND), but graphics definitely enhance gameplay for me now. Some of you may be sayin' that this is obvious, and blah blah blah, but I used to not care at all how graphics looked. Maybe it's just how graphics are improving and looking really impressive, but I enjoy the game more. Huh, half this post is about graphics--not the original intent.

Anyway, so, after Survival Project, Gunbound, and Gunz, I'm now onto Rakion. Anyone play it? I'm sure Scou would also be interested in getting more people in on it, but we've just started out--level 3's. Scou's a natural, but I think I just picked a tough class (Mage). He went the beginner-friendly Swordsman class. We're gettin' the hang of it, but as is also common with these games, lag is an issue. The people seem nicer than usual, though.

If you're interested in joining us: www.rakion.com

The system requirements are pretty demanding, but the game's a lotta fun so far.